John Olsen: Goya’s Dog
The National Art School is proud to present John Olsen: Goya’s Dog, a powerful exploration of an extraordinary Australian artist – from his creative awakening in Spain, through the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him at times, and his ability to reach for the light, pursuing a long and acclaimed career.
John Olsen is one of the National Art School’s most renowned graduates, a NAS Fellow, AO and OBE. Goya’s Dog features over 50 major works, sketchbooks and drawings, many not seen in public for generations.
The exhibition begins in Spain during the mid-1950s when the young artist became entranced and inspired by Spanish culture – art, poetry and music – which drew him to explore a darker, more vulnerable side of his personality and experience. Another visit to Spain in the mid-1960s transformed his palette, which became more dynamic and bold.
“It was a remarkable experience because Spain was completely isolated from the modishness of the 20th century, it was still the essential heart of Europe. And then as I began to study, I became aware that even though Spain is a bright and sunny country, that its principle painting lay on the basis of tone – Velazquez, Goya, Murrillo – and somehow those earthy tones reverberated the soul of Spain.
“It was very profound … rather than thinking outwards, it made you think inwards. Still in Australia today, they like the sunny side of the world, whereas the Spanish like the shadow side of the world. I found that very intriguing.” John Olsen, February 2021
The exhibition also features Olsen’s work from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, a period when his vital urban Australian ‘larrikin’ voice emerged. The Olsen landscape became like a theatre or stage, where human drama takes place. It is vivacious, teeming with metaphysical life; in parallel with and embracing real life.
Known for the irrepressible vitality in his work and his buoyant personality, Olsen is a visual poet with a deep love of poetry underpinning his work. Yet he has also confronted darkness in his life, reflected in works such as Donde voy? Self-portrait in moments of doubt (1989). This powerfully introspective painting fits within a venerable history of western art, one which looks mortality in the face.
“I’m 93, and I’m more entranced with the dark side. Not in a mournful sense, but in a sense of enquiry.” John Olsen
Olsen has followed his lifelong urge to set sail into the unknown, delving into the landscape that takes on the form of a living being, full of emotions, foibles and beauty. Through the storms, struggles and soul-searching, he lands on moments of enlightenment, where he is able to capture the energy and elemental life forces of nature, and what it is to be human within this world.
“What I’m talking about is the artist as hunter gatherer. Being daring, and not frightened of the outcome. You’re a journeyman, in the real sense. It’s not the question of failure, it’s the question of understanding and feeling, where you’re able to inhabit your interior world.” John Olsen
EXHIBITION DATES: Friday 29 October – Saturday 27 November 2021
EXHIBITION LOCATION: NAS Gallery
OPENING HOURS: Monday–Saturday, 11am–5pm
CURATOR: Steven Alderton based on a concept by William Wright AM
Explore the exhibition
Images: John Olsen: Goya’s Dog installation view, 2021. Photos: Peter Morgan
Hear from the artist
Education Resources
The John Olsen: Goya’s Dog resource been written in line with the Years 7–10 Visual arts Syllabus and the Higher School Certificate Visual arts Syllabus, as a guide to exploring the exhibition or as a pre/post-visit resource. Tertiary students and the general public may also find the resource useful.
Teachers will be able to use this resource in conjunction with the works in the exhibition to engage in a critical and historical study of the art world and to investigate artists, artworks, worlds, and audiences from a range of cultural, political, historical and social perspectives and use these to inform their own artmaking practices.
Use the exhibition walkthrough video (top of page) to explore the artworks.
Thank you to everyone who attended the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize and congratulations again to the prize winner NAS alumna Rosemary Lee.
The 24th Dobell Drawing Prize is now open until Saturday 21 June 2025
11am – 5pm Monday to Saturday
NAS Gallery
Free admission, all welcome
Learn more about the exhibition at the link in bio.
Apr 11
We are delighted to announce NAS alumna Rosemary Lee as the winner of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, worth $30,000.
Selected from 56 nationwide finalists, and 965 entries, Rosemary’s work will become part of the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years. Rosemary, in her winning work 24-1 (2024), observes tonal and compositional profundity in everyday life.
The judging panel comprising acclaimed First Nations artist Vernon Ah Kee, Paula Latos-Valier AM, Trustee and Art Director of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, and Dr Yolunda Hickman, Head of Postgraduate Studies, National Art School, commented of Rosemary’s work: “The decision to award the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize to Rosemary Lee for the work ‘24-1’ was unanimous. We were most impressed by the level of visual intensity the artist has achieved in this work both through its vibrant colour and in the extraordinary detail of the composition. The artwork’s exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill, has produced an image capturing a broader sense of transience and the omnipresence of construction sites in our cities today. It questions the cultural and historical value of place, through the lens of the artist’s personal connection.”
See Lee’s work alongside the work of the other finalists in the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, 11 April – 21 June 2025, NAS Gallery
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Left to right: NAS Director and CEO, Dr Kristen Sharp with artist Rosemary Lee, featuring winning artwork 24–1, 2024, pencil on paper, image courtesy the artist and National Art School Gallery © the artist, photograph: Peter Morgan
Apr 10
Introducing the National Art School Short Courses Program from July–December 2025
Whether you’re a beginner, rediscovering a past passion, refining your skills, or considering our Fine Arts degree, the short courses offer a stimulating and rewarding experience for all levels.
Our 2025 program begins in July with Winter School, followed by Term Three, Spring Weekend Workshops in September, and Term Four in October.
Learn more and enrol at the link in bio.
Apr 10
Making Sound is a performance event featuring four artists who make devices that make sound, including Gary Warner, Pia van Gelder, Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell, presented following Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025, Saturday 12 April 5-6pm.
Gary Warner creates an improvised soundfield with his ‘aleatoric ensemble’ autonomous sound machines, a collection of modified turntables that spin ad-hoc bric-a-brac assemblages.
Pia van Gelder (pictured) amplifies an electronic circuit as it is built in real-time. Under the moniker of “PvG sans PCB,” in these performances, van Gelder works on a breadboard with electronic components and additional found objects to demonstrate the electronic variabilities produced in the material world.
Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell perform together with handmade synthesizer systems that sense and sonify barometric pressure and the flow of electrons through matter.
Purchase your tickets to the symposium at the link in bio.
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Pia van Gelder, `sans PCB`, 2021, performance, Collings Creative, image courtesy and © the artist
Apr 6
Passionate about collections and the arts? Join us as a Digitisation Volunteer!
The National Art School Archive and Collection team is looking for enthusiastic Digitisation Volunteers to help bring our art collection to life! Your work will play a key role in making art and history more accessible—by photographing and recording our collections, enhancing our museum database, and digitising our extensive archive of photographs. Through your efforts, every stored object and artwork in our collection will have a high-quality, searchable digital record for generations to come.
Apply at the link in bio.
Apr 2
Opening night: Gesture and Trace
Join us on Saturday 12 April for the opening night of Gesture and Trace, a collaborative exhibition with the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts (LAFA), Shenyang, China. Featuring 16 students and recent alumni from the National Art School (NAS) and LAFA’s Textiles and Chinese Ink Departments, this exhibition explores cross-cultural perspectives on drawing and material practices.
This exhibition is presented by the National Centre for Drawing, in conjunction with Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025.
Purchase your tickets to the symposium at the link in bio.
Apr 1
